


Hourglass

by LaFemmeDarla



Category: The Big O
Genre: Multi, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-19
Updated: 2010-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-13 19:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaFemmeDarla/pseuds/LaFemmeDarla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>In the end, their world is just like one of Roger’s hourglasses, being turned around constantly; grains of sand never falling the same way twice, the same story told over and over and yet never the same. </i></p><p>In a city that has lost its memory, they keep finding each other. But never the same way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hourglass

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



_I shouldn’t be here_ , Roger tells himself as he reluctantly pulls apart from Dorothy’s embrace. There are many reasons he shouldn’t be here: their age difference, for one. Not to mention Timothy Wayneright would probably kill him if he ever found out. Roger Smith may be Paradigm City’s top negotiator and one of their prized Dominus, but Dorothy’s is Wayneright’s little girl, even if she’s already 18 years old. It hasn’t stopped them from stealing a kiss or two whenever they could.

When he walked into the apartment he had had a well rehearsed speech to let her off easily, something that would show her he cares even as he told her they should not see each other anymore, but one look into those violet eyes of hers and he knew he couldn’t tell her.

 _What is wrong with you, Roger Smith?_

“When are you coming back?” she asks.

“Tonight,” he replies with a smile. She doesn’t smile back. Of course, no matter how hard Wayneright would have tried to shield her, Dorothy would have found a way to learn about the situation. Even with back up, it’s going to be up to Big O to fight the final battle. And nobody seems to think they’ll make it back…

Preposterous!

“Dorothy,” he says in that calm collected voice he’s perfected over the years. “It’s alright. Wayne… your father says we might be able to win this time.”

“I know,” she answers. Unspoken are the words “Don’t go. Stay (with me) here.” Dorothy may be young, and her memories may be gone just like the rest of them. But she knows everyone has a mission. Roger’s mission is to take Big O and lead into the upcoming battle. If they can make it this time, it might be it. No more learning about long forgotten memories. No more endless battles. It would be their opportunity to start over and never look back.

Maybe then they might have a chance.

She takes a step forward, almost standing on the tip of her toes as she looks at him. Her breath is warmth against his face and he cannot help leaning forward just a little. His next words die as someone coughs politely behind them. It’s amazing how fast they can move when the circumstances require them to.

Caseey Jenkins stands in the doorway, looking happy and calm, as if she hadn’t seen her boyfriend getting just a little too close with another girl, a girl Caseey considers a dear friend. Is she actually angry? Probably. Roger is not looking forward to the ride back.

“Hello, Dorothy,” Caseey says before looking at Roger. “Ready to go, Lieutenant?”

“Ready,” Roger says before looking back at Dorothy. “I’ll be back tonight. I promise.”

Dorothy smiles and nods as she watches them leave the room. Caseey waits until they’re inside the elevator before speaking.

“Roger…”

“Don’t,” he says, closing his eyes. The last thing he needs is being scolded.

But then she has one hand on his shoulder and when he opens his eyes, he finds her staring at him, eyes bright and on the verge of tears. It is not Dorothy that makes her upset, but the events unfolding tonight, the fact that she might not see him again.

He would have preferred a scolding better.

Before he can say anything they arrive to their floor and she’s moving away as soon as the door opens, fast and without a word. Roger shakes his head and follows. He is not a sentimental person, and neither are Dorothy and Caseey. But weeks building up to this have taken its toll in all of them. He promises himself they will talk once this is over, when they have no wars or resets to worry about. All he has to do is put at an end to this war and come back alive.

Dorothy and Caseey are there when they find him among the wreckage the next day, both Dominus and Megadeus broken beyond help.

*

When Major Smith goes missing, Patricia Lovejoy is assigned to find him. While she happens to be very good at her job, she suspects the fact that she occasionally shares a bed with the Major heavily influenced her receiving the assignment. Still, she’s not complaining. She’d rather be the first one to find him and learn what really happened.

Roger is not the kind of man to run away when things get tough.

 _What happened, Roger?_ she wonders as she drives the streets of Paradigm City. _What scared you away? Was it a memory? Something that happened to you the last time we tried this? Or was it the weight of doing this over and over?_

It takes her five hours to find him, walking under the rain in a crowded street. He’s delirious as she helps him into the car, laughing at the thought of being their last hope. She sights and orders him to take things seriously, even as her mind races. Is this truly the man who will negotiate their future?

He eventually grows silent, thoughtfully staring at the raindrops falling on the passenger window. They drive past the Nightingale and Patricia cannot help but think about Wayneright. The old man refused to wait around the office and miss out his weekly visit to the club with his daughter. Things had been different around HQ since Dorothy had stopped hanging around. Patricia is not sure if this is a good or a bad thing.

As much as she hates to admit it, she misses the girl. Maybe she could have made some sense out of this mess of a man called Roger Smith.

“Do you remember that day at the beach?” he asks suddenly. She smiles.

“I do,” she replies. A rare peaceful moment, his arms wrapped around her waist and his heart racing as she rested her head against his chest while they watched the sunset. Even hours later in his suite, he had smelled of salt water and expensive aftershave as he slept in her arms. “Who would have thought Roger Smith wouldn’t mind getting sand all over his shoes?”

He laughs, a soft chuckle at first and then the raucous laughter of a madman.

“We are nothing, but actors playing a part,” he finally says, wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye. “Once they take them away…” He pauses and she can hear him gasps as the car approaches a tunnel. She doesn’t have to look into the rearview mirror to know he’s digging his fingers into the upholstery, eyes wide with fear. They may be actors alright, but Roger seems to have lost his own role this time.

Patricia focuses on the road ahead, blinking fast to stop the tears from clouding her sight.

*

The new assistant comes recommended by Soldano. While Father is not too keen on the man, Caseey Jenkins has proved to be an asset, smart and professional (if one ignored her flirty attitude whenever one Roger Smith would drop by) and for Dorothy, who spends most of her time helping her father, it is nice to have another girl in the team.

Dorothy has grown without a mother and has no memories of her. Miss Jenkins may not be the maternal type – not to mention way too young – but she has been really nice to Dorothy: taking her out shopping, showing her how to do her makeup and dragging her along to watch a movie in an almost empty theater on occasion. While Dorothy prefers live performances and choosing her own clothing, she has found herself drawn to the mysterious older woman. And when Caseey seems as fascinated by Dorothy, the younger girl is both excited and a little afraid of the way their friendship develops into something else, something she keeps a secret from everyone, even her father. At least for the time being.

Then the rumors start. There are talks of someone in the Paradigm Corporation successfully infiltrating Wayneright’s company. They of course suspect the newest member. Dorothy is the one to tell her father they couldn’t possibly be right about Ca… Miss Jenkins. Dorothy herself had believed it until a meeting a contact had sent Roger to the hospital with a concussion and a broken leg. It had happened so fast that here hadn’t been any time to summon Big O. Only three people besides Roger had known about the meeting: Dorothy, her father and Miss Jenkins.

Dorothy finds her in the office, standing by a window with a folder in her hands, just one of many filled with classified information and are kept under lock and key.

“Roger is going to be alright,” Dorothy says coolly, belying the emotions burning inside her. “I thought you would like to know.”

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” is Caseey’s reply. Her voice is shaking slightly. It only makes Dorothy angrier.

“The rumors are true then? You are working for somebody else.”

Caseey – is that even her real name? – turns around and smiles sadly. Dorothy knows she should back away and call for help, but she finds herself unable to move, staring into Caseey’s eyes.

“Why?” she asks before Caseey can say anything. “How much are they paying you?”

 _We trusted you. I trusted you. How could you?_

“Dorothy,” Caseey says. She takes a step forward, placing the folder on a nearby desk. Dorothy takes a step back. “I am not working for Paradigm. It’s true I came here with an agenda, but I never meant for anyone to be harmed.”

“Try telling that to Roger.”

Caseey shakes her head. “That wasn’t me. That was not part of the plan.” She walks as she speaks. Dorothy is not backing away anymore. She is still angry and betrayed, but she’s listening. “I never told… the people who sent me about this meeting. They must have found through other means.”

Then her hands are on Dorothy’s arms, warm and soft, her pretty eyes are bright with tears. “I want to help you. I’ll tell your father everything. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right.”

Dorothy tries not to think of the sight of Roger in a hospital bed as she asks “Why should I believe you?”

“Because I may have kept a lot of things from all of you. But you must know in your heart that I never lied to you. That everything I feel is real”

Caseey’s lips are just as warm and soft as her hands as she places one gentle kiss on Dorothy’s forehead. Dorothy wishes she could be as cold and unfeeling as one of her father’s most basic androids, just so she could stop believing this woman’s words.

*

When Paradigm City is reset once again; three players keep their memories from the last time. It is not a perfect plan. Memories have a way of coming back to haunt you when you least expect them. Others are bound to remember as time goes by. But this time they will be ready. Angel has bought them time. No more resets. If they play their cards right this time their city will earn a chance to move on.

Together, Dorothy and Angel make their way to the restored Smith Manor. Norman seems to have known they were coming – even if he has forgotten their names in the reset - and takes them to the top floor to wait for his master. While they wait, Dorothy stands by the glass doors and Angel moves to a nearby table to examine an hourglass.

It makes sense now, Roger’s fascination with them. In the end, their world is just like one of Roger’s hourglasses, being turned around constantly; grains of sand never falling the same way twice, the same story told over and over and yet never the same. Angel runs her fingers over the polished wood, deep in thought.

How could she have forgotten herself? How many times has she reset their world and then completely forgotten about it, always finding a way to insert herself into the story? She has lost track the number of resets she has caused and her chest feels heavy at the thought of all the pain it has brought.

Then Roger arrives. At first he says nothing, looking as if he’s just returned from a job and is ready to relax a little. And for all purposes, he just has.

“Thank you,” he says.

The following weeks are a rush of activity – places to go and people to see – as they remake their whole routine. Angel is given a room in the mansion and spends most of her time looking for old sources, trying to learn what they will be facing now. She may have the power to reset their world, but even she can’t tell every single detail of this new Paradigm City just yet. Roger and Dorothy help in every way they can, but his job as a negotiator keeps him busy as well and Dorothy also has a job helping Norman. They still spend a lot of time together, sharing meals and discoveries, but also resting, getting to know each other again. It’s easier this time, their common goals and past history making their interactions the better. Yes, even their fights, and with the three of them there’s plenty of fighting to go around.

When it happens, Angel isn’t sure whose idea it was. One minute they are saying their good nights and the next the three of them are walking into Roger’s bedroom. She wonders if they’ve ever done this before, all of them together. If those memories were gone would their bodies still remember?

It is awkward at first. Roger and Angel, the ones who have the most experience, are obviously used to having only one partner at a time. And that’s not even counting the fact that Dorothy is both stronger and heavier than both of them combined. Nevertheless, they find a rhythm, hands and mouths (re)discovering bare flesh, limbs entangling and bodies shivering in pleasure.

Afterwards, as Angel is falling asleep, she tries to focus on the sound of Roger’s breathing, the low whirring of Dorothy’s body, the distant traffic on the streets below. She is no stranger to sharing a bed with either of them. She is however, a stranger to sharing a space with both of them in such a peaceful manner. Will this be their new sleeping arrangement or will things change in the morning?

Dorothy reaches out across Roger’s chest, tentative fingers stroking Angel’s hair. It’s strange and yet comforting. Angel stops wondering about what will happen next and just relaxes. They can figure it out things tomorrow. Together.

*

As sunrise comes, Dorothy stays as still as possible and watches the others sleep. She already knew Roger likes to be bundled up, snores softly and smiles pleasantly. Now she’s learning (or did she know this already?) that Angel likes to sleep on her side, golden hair fanned over the pillows. It’s a peaceful image.

She will give them five more minutes before dressing up and heading to the piano.

 _We have come to terms_


End file.
